BY PROVIDENCE OBUH

United Bank for Africa, (UBA) Plc has unveiled Next-Gen, a product targeted at future generation of customers with a view to inculcating savings culture.

“Next-Gen” is a suit of personal current accounts designed to meet the needs of young person’s from teenage years at 13 to adulthood at 34 and a partnership where the bank is taking on a mentorship role of guiding into a future life.

Speaking during the launch of Next-Gen, Managing Director, UBA, Mr. Phillips Oduoza, said that the product is about capturing and engaging the next generation of educated and enlightened professionals, employees, entrepreneurs and self employed persons, early in their financial life cycle.

Oduoza, represented by his Executive Director, Treasury and International Banking, Mr. Femi Olaloku, said,“With an established track record of supporting individuals, businesses, institutions and governments, we strongly feel the time is ripe to build another generation of highly successful people in a world that is changing fast and where young people are the majority.   Africa’s population is predominantly full of young people with an estimated 70 percent of the population under 30. The young people of today have needs that are totally different from the needs of their parents.

“Despite the challenge we have in our country today, the future of our country is dear for us and for those who will lead this country into the next generation to understand and pick up certain values at an early age, especially when it comes to managing and handling money.

“And the product will take care of the needs of teenage customers when they are in secondary school through university to when they get their first job, start a family and even consider building their first house. At each of these critical stages in their lives, the account  provides financial options and opportunities to make life more comfortable for them and their family,” he said.

On his part, Head, Current Accounts and Credit Products, UBA, Mr. Iyke Idukpaye, said that the teenagers who open a next-gen account will become part of the “UBA Teen Fan Club,” which offers opportunities for networking.

Idukpaye explained that as teenagers with the account grows and gain admission into tertiary institutions, they will enjoy mentorship, internships, exclusive invitations to job and career fairs as well as entrepreneurship workshops and career advisory reserved only for account holders.